In Memoriam

ANNE LOUISE MCGARRAH

February 4, 1949 - December 7, 2006

It is with deep sadness that we report the death of Anne McGarrah. We have been friends since we met at the first WSA convention we ever attended. That was in Boston, 1990. We renewed our friendship when the WS Music Camp began at Belvoir Terrace in 1994. I will remember Anne especially because she was one of the few people that I knew who could give a spontaneous speech that was both stirring and grammatically correct. The greater WS extended family will miss this warm and talented spokesperson.

-- Howard Lenhoff

I learned about Anne’s passing from Sharon Libera, who wrote:

Anne died peacefully in the night in the Buckley Healthcare Center in Greenfield, MA where she has spent the last few years. She had just recovered from pneumonia (which was discovered when she was in the hospital for heart problems), and was under hospice care. But after that crisis she had seemingly snapped back; when I spoke with her during Thanksgiving week she sounded very strong. Last Friday, her care coordinator told me, she had been to an animal shelter and volunteered to pet all the animals. This week she attended her Plan of Care meeting, and hospice care was to be withdrawn because she seemingly was doing that well. The nursing home representative said, she "was a gift to us all."

The following obituary was released:

ANNE LOUISE MCGARRAH GREENFIELD, Anne Louise McGarrah, 57, of Greenfield and Amherst, died Dec. 7, after a long struggle with disabilities associated with Williams Syndrome. She was a pioneer, teaching the world about developmental disabilities and Williams Syndrome, appearing on “60 Minutes” with Morley Safer and Dr. Oliver Sachs on PBS. “Come Into My World,” she wrote in a 1991 poem, after learning she was one of the oldest people with Williams Syndrome. Anne was a pianist and loved to play for children of all ages. She worked as a teacher’s aide at the University of Massachusetts, after graduating from Rockville Terrace High School in Rockville, MD, and received a Teacher’s Aide Certificate from Amherst Regional High School. She lived at the Buckley Health Center in Greenfield, at the time of her death, here she was beloved by all, and for a time published a “Dear Annie” newsletter for residents. She is survived by her mother, Barbara of Amherst, two brothers; Robert of Bethesda, MD, and Douglas of Hamilton, MA, and 7 nieces and nephews she loved so well. A graveside service will be Saturday at 10:00AM in West Cemetery, Amherst, with a memorial service in February. The family requests in lieu of flowers, contributions to the Williams Syndrome Foundation, c/o Dr. Barbara Pober, Children’s Hospital, 300 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA 02115. Obituary and register at www.douglassfuneral.com

Anne’s mother’s address is:

Barbara McGarrah, 17 Elm St., Amherst, MA 01002

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For additional information about Williams syndrome, please send an e-mail to hlenhoff@uci.edu.

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